Sure, you end up with much of the same notes as if you’d copied the trumpet parts, but this ensures the parts are optimised for saxes and avoids any unwanted intervals as the saxes extend below where the trumpets left off. The only difference is that we’re treating the Alto 1 line as the melody now. Instead, care is taken in the saxes to harmonise the target notes first, and then the approach notes are dealt with, the same way the trumpet soli was conceived. I don’t simply copy-and-paste the other trumpet lines to the remaining saxes. Notice that once Alto 1 is linked with Trumpet 2, 3 or 4, the saxes below are harmonised from scratch. When the chart is slow, or the Lead Trumpet is low, Alto 1 can double the Lead Trumpet, but I’d advise rearranging the sax voicings so it’s not a complete copy-paste of the trumpet parts to avoid a metallic, phasing sound - if the trumpets are in close voicing, try the saxes in open and vice versa. You can also create an Alto 1 line from scratch using any notes from the Trumpet soli to create the most melodic voice leading possible. I’m careful to put the Lead Trumpet in a good range and try to choose a key that’s good for the whole band. I’ve started with the trumpets because the Lead will always be playing our melody in a shout. Let’s take this simple lead and put it on trumpets. This could be a development of the main melody, or completely fresh material. Similarly to how I looked at soli writing, here’s a step-by-step breakdown to arranging the shout chorus. A shout chorus is essentially a mixture of both of these techniques and applying it to the whole band. So far, we’ve looked at soli writing and using spread voicings. I guess making it too subdued kind of loses the effect of the ‘shout’, but the principal remains: it’s the climax. In more modern charts, a shout chorus doesn’t have to be the whole band and is often more subdued. It’s high-energy and usually happens about 2/3rds of the way through a chart. It’s a tutti where the whole band plays together, usually developing the themes, motifs and harmony that came before it. A shout chorus is traditionally the pinnacle of the big band chart. The term ‘shout chorus’ has come up a lot and so far I’ve only really made a half-hearted attempt to explain exactly what it is and what’s going on.
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